‘It is a well-understood principle that a judicial review court traditionally forbears from granting coercive orders against public authorities on grounds of mutual institutional trust, and constitutional reasons relating to the separation of powers. This is particularly so in the case of mandatory orders: whilst section 31(1) of the Senior Courts Act 1981 allows judges to grant such orders, when doing so they take the underlying decision out of the hands out of the public authority which has the democratic imprimatur to take such a decision. There has therefore, traditionally, been a particular reticence to grant mandatory orders in judicial review cases.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 16th January 2025
Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org
